What are your intentions for 2015?

1. Understand your own body

“How the cells know what to do, where to go, and why do they do it in the first place? For the purpose to work with individual people, The BodyTalk System uses the term: “Innate Wisdom”. This innate wisdom contains the information and intelligence necessary for the functioning of our bodies. As such, he Innate Wisdom influences the exploration of health and growth in our lives.”

2. Take up yoga.

There’s a reason so many yogis are calmer and healthier people. Practicing yoga, much like receiving a BodyTalk session, helps draw energy out of your restless mind and into your heart complex and your body. It heightens awareness such that you become more attuned to the clues your body gives about what’s ailing you and how you can heal yourself.

The two disciplines have a lot in common, in their intentions and outcomes. Actually BodyTalk has a strong base in the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. A shared sensibility pervades BodyTalk and yoga, attracting people who are curious about the intersection of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

More practically speaking, yoga stretches and activates connective tissue, capillaries, veins, meridians and chakras throughout the body, which helps regulate the flow of many levels of communication.

We have also heard about so many benefits of meditation…

3. … and meditation.

Though meditation is usually recognized as a largely spiritual practice, it also has many health benefits. The yoga and meditation techniques are being implemented in management of life threatening diseases; in transformation of molecular and genetic structure; in reversal of mental illnesses, in accelerated learning programs, in perceptions and communications beyond the physical, in solving problems and atomic and nuclear physics; in gaining better ecological understanding; in management of lifestyle and future world problems. Some benefits of meditation are:

It lowers oxygen consumption.

It decreases respiratory rate.

It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.

Increases exercise tolerance in heart patients.

Leads to a deeper level of relaxation.

Good for people with high blood pressure as it brings the B.P. to normal.

Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.

Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches.

Builds self-confidence.

It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.

Helps in chronic diseases like allergies , arthritis etc.

Reduces Pre- menstrual Syndrome.

Helps in post-operative healing.

Enhances the immune system. Research has revealed that meditation increases activity of ‘natural-killer cells’, which kill bacteria and cancer cells.

Also reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress.

4. Stop blaming people.

“A foundational concept in acupuncture and in BodyTalk is the Yin-Yang theory. An oversimplification of Yin-Yang theory is that something can only be understood in relation to the whole—or, context determines reality. Acupuncturists use Yin and Yang to determine how one thing functions in relation to another. Those determinations are based on the defining characteristics of Yin and Yang.

When we explore the concepts and characteristics of Yin and Yang in detail, but there is a bottom line as it relates to relationships: You contribute to the less-than-desirable qualities exhibited by your partner and other people in your life.

Hard to hear? It’s true. Check out my last article: Mirroring. According to Yin-Yang theory, seemingly opposite characteristics are actually just variations of each other. Try and remember this next time your partner, sister, friend, or coworker is pushing your buttons.

5. Celebrate differences in relationships.

BodyTalk concepts will help you not only with taking ownership for our role in the dynamics of all your relationships – either within yourself or with others – but also with appreciating all the possibilities that the universe is offering to us at every moment.

Every single person’s experience in and of the world is unique. BodyTalk celebrates this diversity by not buying in the one-size-fits all model that dominates mainstream healthcare. Mainstream medicine is premised on the idea of diagnosis and intervention—isolating symptoms and suppressing them with an external substance—so diversity is discouraged rather than embraced. The model is set up to favor repeating patterns.

In contrast, BodyTalk works with each individual’s distinctive constitution and circumstances to arrive at his or her own definition of health.

How often do we work ourselves into frenzies of frustration because someone is not doing something our way? Or failing to see a situation from our point of view? Remembering to see yourself and others as truly unique individuals can go a long way toward cultivating tolerance and compassion.

6. Stay warm.

Oh yeah… remember, I am from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! People who are in pain often wonder, “Should I use heat or ice?” Heat is the answer almost every time. “From an acupuncture perspective, many pain conditions are caused by stagnation. Things are not moving smoothly through the channels, causing blockages that lead to pain. Acupuncture restores flow, helping to eliminate these blockages. Looking at pain in this way, ice is counterproductive—it causes things to remain stagnant and slows down the healing process.”

You don’t have to be injured or in pain to benefit from this warming principle. When we’re cold, we get tight—we tense our shoulders and hold ourselves in rigid postures. This even can be an issue in summer, when offices, restaurants, and other places jack up the air conditioning to the point of discomfort.

So, choose heat over ice. Bring along an extra layer. Wear a scarf. Drink warming teas (ginger is a good one). Keep yourself warm inside and out to maintain a healthy flow.

7. Embrace change.

Change is hard for most of us because we delude ourselves into believing that we can anticipate outcomes of the things we’re accustomed to. When things change, we don’t like it because now we can’t predict the outcomes. In an attempt to stay in control of our inherently out-of-control lives, we seek cut-and-dried explanations.

But change doesn’t have to be scary or threatening, and it doesn’t have to take away your power. In fact, in BodyTalk we believe change is the primary ingredient for becoming a healthier person.

Pathways to true healing are different for everyone, and they are rarely linear. Change is the only universal marker of progress. We are getting better as long as we are no longer the same.

Next time you’re faced with a change, remember that it’s actually a sign that you’re moving forward.

8. Eat good food.

The “right” diet is different for everyone, but regardless of your preferences, it’s valuable to think about food as sustenance. Eating is an opportunity to heal your body, or to keep it healthy if it already is. When we conceive of food as sustenance, processed food and other junk become less appealing.

So, imagine the foods that would make you feel nourished and healthy, then go eat them.

9. Let go.

Yoga and meditation teach us to let go of the things that hold us back. We all have them. A medical diagnosis. A procrastination habit. A co-dependent relationship. A storied past. An intense love of ice cream. In one way or another, these things prevent us from moving forward. However, they also become part of our identity, which makes them difficult to abandon.

By offering a new lens, one that accepts these things as part of our contextual makeup rather than demonizing them as something to be ashamed of, acupuncture empowers us to ultimately let them go. Acupuncture gathers all of our experiences into a complete underlying pattern of disharmony. The goal of treatment is not to merely mask symptoms but rather to change the root pattern that allows symptoms to flourish.

In doing this, BodyTalk helps us see our struggles from two distinct viewpoints: They are meaningful aspects of our stories worthy of careful consideration and at the same time fleeting details destined to be transformed.

What’s something you’ve been wanting to let go of? Give it a hug—it’s part of you—and then gently let it go.

10. Take on challenges.

It takes courage to go against the grain. Many doctors, as well as some family, friends and colleagues, regard mainstream medicine as the only acceptable form of healthcare. Add to that the barrage of pharmaceutical advertising, influential insurance companies, and sensationalized media messages about alternative approaches to health. It’s difficult to make certain choices in the face of such powerful forces.

By taking on new challenges, you’ll build the stamina necessary for taking ownership of your health.

Healing through holistic medicine requires a conscious commitment to understanding yourself in a way that the majority shuns. It means thinking independently. It demands a willingness to go your own way. That’s not easy, but you can do it.

11. Get BodyTalk.

This is an obvious one, but important to remember. One of the greatest beauties of BodyTalk is its ability to influence our lives beyond the moments spent in treatment rooms.

However, if you want to cultivate the optimum health in your life in 2015, getting a BodyTalk treatment is a fantastic way to initiate the process—and periodic treatments can help keep you on course throughout the year.

There’s something about lying on the table in quiet stillness, and feeling your intuitive communication work their magic that makes it all click. BodyTalk treatments help awaken the senses and clarify intentions so that your self-care practices can be more effective.

So, whether as a new-year jump start taking a BodyTalk class or a series of regular tune ups, treat yourself to a BodyTalk session this year. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. If you don’t already have an acupuncturist, find one in the BODYTALK SYSTEM website.